"Is it because the Jack Hanma template merged to twenty percent...? I wasn't this hungry even when I skipped breakfast before..."
"But it's seven o'clock. Since coming here, I've been eating around this time every day. With such a regular biological clock, it'd be strange not to be hungry."
Jaden yawned as he walked out of his room.
He held the numbered ticket Erina had given him and headed toward the main hall of the O-uchu.
The bar's overall layout hadn't changed.
And realistically, it couldn't.
But by dividing the original space more effectively, neatly arranging customer seating, and increasing the brightness of the lighting-
After everything was adjusted, the small bar unexpectedly took on the atmosphere of an upscale restaurant.
Even Erina had no choice but to reluctantly accept that fact.
And with a restaurant like this, she naturally chose the type of cuisine she excelled at.
High-end.
Reservation-only.
In simple terms-
She sold by the table.
To make a reservation, customers only needed to call ahead and pay the fee to Ryo Himuro at the entrance.
Once the money was paid, that was it.
If someone wanted a refund afterward, then unless they could beat Ryo Himuro and snatch the money back directly, their only remaining options were to try the Totsuki Resort or the Nakiri family's front gate.
Whether either would refund them was another matter entirely.
In addition to the reservation system, Erina had also prepared another dining area.
The reserved seating used private box designs, separated from the original bar counter area.
The original counter space had been converted into a buffet-style dining zone, with carefully considered pricing.
Erina had spent the entire night preparing mainly for this section.
After all, purely in terms of sales volume, she couldn't compete with the Totsuki Resort at its normal operating capacity.
But today, the resort had only opened part of its facilities for the students' training camp.
And it was breakfast.
Under those conditions, it was impossible for them to compete with Erina's table-by-table, custom high-end cuisine in terms of revenue.
The number of wealthy people who wanted to eat dishes prepared by the God Tongue was enormous.
But Erina wasn't satisfied with merely surpassing the opponent's revenue.
She intended to steal customer traffic outright.
That was why she deliberately separated the two entrances of the O-uchu.
One side focused on high-end custom meals, drawing customers in with the reputation of the God Tongue.
The other side emphasized buffet dining and a self-service bar, with prices carefully calibrated.
Ohya Ken had used all of Ginokuniya Bookstore's available channels to advertise that side overnight.
It had to be said-
Erina's preparation was extremely thorough.
Especially when it came to details.
These were exactly the kinds of things that gave Jaden a headache just looking at them.
He couldn't help but sigh.
-Only a Nakiri family member knows how to deal with the Nakiri family.
After gaining a general understanding of the setup, Jaden finally relaxed.
He followed the number on his ticket and walked toward the private box for Table No. 1.
As he passed through the box area, he noticed that every other box was already occupied.
And the serving times written on the door cards were still hours away.
It clearly wasn't that the customers had just arrived.
-Are foodies in this world really that aggressive?
Jaden rubbed his stomach.
He had only come because he was hungry.
Raising an eyebrow, he entered his private box.
He assumed he would have to wait for a while, just like everyone else.
But less than ten minutes after he sat down-
Erina walked in, carrying the dishes.
Jaden was already starving.
The moment the food was placed in front of him, he started eating.
As he did, he asked, slightly confused,
"Wasn't I supposed to wait longer?"
Erina, who had just pushed the door open, stopped mid-step when she heard that.
She let out a small hmph.
"You've been coming out of your room at this time every morning, saying you're starving to death, haven't you? Don't underestimate a chef's memory."
Her ears flushed red.
Then she turned around and fled back toward the kitchen like a startled cat, already moving to prepare for the other tables.
After all, she was extremely busy today.
And yet-
She had delayed serving other guests who arrived much earlier just to prepare his breakfast in advance.
Thinking about that, Jaden lowered his gaze to the food in front of him.
Even though he wasn't skilled in cooking, he knew one thing for sure.
Even Erina couldn't prepare these dishes in ten minutes.
That meant she had likely estimated his waking time and started cooking early.
The breakfast was still warm.
In that sense, her prediction had been completely accurate.
-After all, I've been getting woken up by the system's check-in notification for the past two days.
With that thought, Jaden took a sip of the white rice porridge.
Mmm.
Even without sugar, it tasted surprisingly sweet.
...
A car approached from the distance and stopped beside the Totsuki Resort.
The door opened.
Etsuya Eizan, the Ninth Seat of the Totsuki Elite Ten, stepped out.
He wore glasses.
His hair was slicked back.
He carried himself like a seasoned businessman.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have come here during this period.
For the lower-grade training camp, the upper-grade Elite Ten members were only responsible for arrangements.
Erina was an exception because she was also a first-year.
Logically, Eizan had no reason to be here.
But he still came.
Because Erina had seemingly been expelled during the training camp.
When one of the Elite Ten was expelled, it was something that couldn't be ignored.
Of course, the other Elite Ten members weren't fools.
They understood the weight carried by the name Nakiri.
Something abnormal had clearly happened.
And generally speaking, whoever got involved would only be inviting trouble.
So no one wanted to meddle in Erina's affairs.
Even so-
Etsuya Eizan came.
Because he saw opportunity.
"This O-uchu..." he murmured, a slow smile forming beneath his glasses. "This must be the trump card Erina plans to use for her comeback."
Beside him, several men who looked like thugs stepped forward.
"We-"
Before they could finish, Eizan raised his hand.
"Don't do anything foolish," he said calmly. "Use your brain. Although Totsuki's situation isn't good recently, Toyo Electric hasn't made its move yet. The deeper issues haven't erupted."
"There's no need to provoke a wounded tiger right now."
Even as he said that, Eizan continued walking toward the O-uchu.
"Illegal methods are out of the question," he continued. "But legitimate ones are fine."
"The God Tongue must be incredibly busy today. I heard that not only did she bring along a piece of trash who only received 'E' ratings at Totsuki, she even managed to appease her little secretary-who isn't even following her around anymore."
"I looked into her plan before," Eizan said lightly. "It is feasible to a certain extent."
"But with only herself handling everything, the pressure on her must be enormous."
"Her stamina."
"Her time."
"They'll be very limited."
In that case-
"-Compared to illegal means, if I apply a bit of pressure right now, force her into a Shokugeki with me, and then add a few conditions..."
"Then the God Tongue might be useful to me a few times before Toyo Electric takes her away~"
Etsuya Eizan only cared about money.
And the God Tongue-
Was the ultimate weapon in his money-making model.
For any establishment that dared oppose him, a single bad review from the God Tongue would be enough to sign their death warrant.
It was both deterrent and dagger.
However, under normal circumstances, he couldn't easily justify a Shokugeki with the God Tongue.
And in a normal Shokugeki, he wasn't her match.
That was why-
Etsuya Eizan had come today.
He had prepared thoroughly to deal with Erina in her current state.
As for the trash she brought along...
He vaguely remembered the name.
Jaden?
What use could someone who only received 'E' ratings at Totsuki be?
Could he possibly take Erina's place-
And have a Shokugeki with him?
Don't be ridiculous.
So-
This time, Etsuya Eizan had finally found the God Tongue's weak point.
And he fully intended to exploit it.
As for retaliation later?
Hmph.
Totsuki was struggling just to protect itself.
Before long, she might become nothing more than Toyo Electric's tool.
What could she possibly retaliate with?
Besides-
He, Etsuya Eizan...
Was already Toyo Electric's man.
More Bonus Chapters!!!!
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